Luthar three

Verified Slow Way

Verified by 100.00% of reviewers

I walked this on an overcast afternoon, from Luton to Harpenden.

From the Luton Interchange it's a zig zag (photo #1) to get to the Lea Valley Way, which it then promptly forgets about and follows Park Lane. I think it's opinion on whether following the LVW or Park Street is better for this section. I didn't find either pleasant (having done the full LVW before).

However, once you get past the airport (photo #5), the route then follows the very easy to walk LVW (photo #2), although there are a few climbs. The route as mapped goes down towards Copt Hall Road, instead of taking the bridge (to the north) over it. That's a mistake, as it means an extra uphill that you don't need, and a road crossing (photo #6).

There are some good views (photo #4), and it is easy to walk. I just found it boring to go in such a straight line (photo #3) for such a distance. At East Hyde you cross the river Lea with a bridge (photo #7), after which it's more of a slog along the road (photo #8, #9,#10).

On the Harpenden End, a last climb along Manland Way (photo #11) and then with a zig zag you finish going underneath the railway through a tunnel alongside Station Road, and then up to Station Approach to the finish.

This felt like a clear, accessible and easy to follow route. The path out of Luton is direct and moves from urban shops to residential quite swiftly before heading on to the path. On the Upper Lea Valley Trail, you have the hum of the road close by and a few trains to spot but the leafy green canopy made me feel quite removed from this. The route provided lovely shade (and very generous supplies of blackberries) on this gorgeous mid-summer day.

A logically routed Slow Way. Good starting and ending locations with good access to onward travel and facilities. Takes in the countryside vistas (and the sewage works) between the two towns.

All of the route can be done on tarmac thanks to the Upper Lea Valley Trail. Some minor inclines and declines (see photos) reasonably straightforward to walk without any real navigation conundrums. Narrowist parts are a few sections of bike barriers. Almost entirely easy to navigate, only had to refer to the app a handful of times for road crossings/ underpass.

Five stars.

Walked Harpenden to Luton. Pretty straightforward walk that is almost entirely on the cycleway with nice views of the river lea and trains passing by.

Because it's on a cycleway it is accessible to all sorts of wheels except for a very short and easily bypassable footpath at the very beginning of Harpenden.

The path goes right past Luton Airport Parkway station which I availed of rather than walk the last mile into Luton itself.

Easy route linking the two town centres, mostly along a continuous cycle/foot path, the Upper Lea Valley Way.

I walked Luton to Harpenden. From Luton station to the start of the ULVW is just under 2km of urban walking, not especially interesting, but I didn’t find it unpleasant - even the low aircraft on final approach to Luton airport added flavour rather than irritation!

Once on the dedicated footpath the going is very easy. Soon the airport is a distant memory and there are fields and greenery all around.
At the highest point is a bench, and an information board, which highlights some of the area’s other claims to fame: Eric Morecombe, Sea Cadets, and a Capability Brown landscape.
The photo of the cows - they are in a separate field, on the far side of a hedge, not on the path!
The rest of the walk as far as Harpenden outskirts is very pleasant - excepting the inevitable sewage works! (I passed by the point where Luthar Two turns off, and I agree with the reviewers of that route that it doesn’t look like a particularly safe or pleasant walking option, compared with staying on the Lea Valley Way into Harpenden.)
At Harpenden the route turns up the hill. The last 1km is on residential streets, and passes some schools, so if you are passing by at about 3.30 on a schoolday it will be busy!

All in all I think this is a good example of how a slow way should be: it uses the best of the available route options to create a direct, safe, and enjoyable route between neighbouring towns.

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